Guluptsie (Cabbage Rolls)

"I remember my grandmother making these on special occasions, usually when she had a lot of hands to help her! This is time consuming but most excellent, and the rolls freeze well for later consumption."

Directions

Bring a large amount of water to a boil in a large stockpot over high heat. Remove cores from the cabbages with the tip of a paring knife, leaving the heads intact. Place the cabbages into the boiling water, and set aside to soften.

In a large skillet, brown the beef, sausage, and venison in batches over medium-high heat. Drain the meat in a colander. Using a little of the grease from the meat, stir in the onions and garlic; cook until softened and translucent. Stir in the rice, and cook until the rice has begun to brown. When the rice has browned, mix it together with the browned meat, red pepper flakes, and dill in a large bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove the heads of cabbage from the hot water. Remove the softened outer leaves, and rinse with cool water. Set the firm, small, inner leaves aside.

Lay a cabbage leaf flat on a work surface with the inside of the leaf facing up, and the core-side facing you. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture on the bottom part of the leaf. Roll the leaf about halfway, then fold in the sides, and finish rolling all of the way. Place into the prepared dish, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Roughly chop the remaining inner leaves, and sprinkle over the cabbage rolls. Pour the canned tomatoes (with juice) into a bowl and crush by hand into 1/2-inch pieces. Stir in the tomato sauce and chicken broth. Pour this evenly over the rolls, and cover them with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven until the rice has softened, and the juices are bubbling, about 2 hours.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Oct 30, 2009

My mother-in-law from Poland and I have watched and learned how to make it. Only changes I do are - I use 60% ground beef to 40% ground pork. Basically like what some would use for a meat loaf mixture. Also I brown a chopped onion with about 4-6 slices of bacon and add to the meat/rice mixture. When you boil the cabbage leaves, save the water that it is cooked in and use instead of chicken broth. My mother in law insists on this step! Great to make a day ahead of company and reheat, the flavors are even better :)

Most Helpful Critical Review

May 26, 2015

I make (galupke') i am slovak. Very similar. I make mine on top of the stove. I layer the rolls in lrg. Pot, in between layers i put the small unusable leafs and chopped whole tomatoes. When you are done with layers add water till you see it in the pot, then cover partially bring to a boil then simmer for a couple hrs. I lay some keilbasa pieces on top toward t e end. The vest part is the Kapusta, which is the loose cabbage that you have put in between the layers and the juice, like cabbage soup. I am 72yrs old and this is how my Bubbi made this and she was born in Slovakia and this is how the Bubbies (now me)make it in the church, we teach the young ones to keep the tradition going, also baked goods from the old country and well everything.

A great starter recipe. I used 1.5 pounds of ground beef and 1 pound of ground pork. Since I reduced the portion of meat, I also reduced the amount of rice to 1.5cups. To perk up the flavor I used 4 cloves of garlic. I also seasoned the meat well when cooking, with onion powder, garlic powder, a pinch of celery seed, salt and pepper. To the meat/rice mixture I included a few splashes of V8 (until moistened). To the tomatoes I substituted the chicken broth for water in which the cabbage was cooked in. I also added approximately a cup of V8 to the tomato sauce. I only made one pan and it cooked perfectly in 1.5 hours. Served with sour cream and it made a delightful meal with plenty of left overs.

I will definitely be making this again!!! Because some of the other reviewers said it came out bland, I did add some spices to the meat mixture as well as the can of V8 others suggested. I put in Basil, Rosemary and a little extra dill weed. I also omitted the extra 1 1/2 pounds ground beef and was able to squeeze it all in one pan. I didn’t have veal and didn’t want to completely overwhelm the pork flavor with too much beef. My husband loved the way it came out. I was looking for a Sarmale recipe because he is from Romania but this came pretty close. The cabbage just isn’t as salty as Sarmale but the meat was delicious. oh, one more thing! I would recommend serving with a dollop of sour cream. It really adds to the flavor.

It is spelled Gwumpkies in polish. Great recipe. As for the critical review this recipe is very traditional except for the sage pork sausage and comes from poor regions in the old country (Europe) and is bland because there was very little money for anything. I like to perk up the flavor myself. For a recipe this size here's how, first don't drain the meat dry in a colander leave some fat in, use at least 1-tsp salt in the meat, in the sauce add the following, 2-tsp salt, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and my secret ingredient is ketchup to taste about 3/4c. However you could also use 1/4 to 1/2c apple cider vinegar or a(small or large) can of sour kraut instead of ketchup. The ketchup, vinegar or kraut really step up the flavor and give that little twang to the taste buds. I feel the need here to remind people, start with less you can always add more.

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.